


Don't know how to do this

by weepingnaiad



Series: Comment Fics [8]
Category: Star Trek RPF, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Comment Fic, Community: jim_and_bones, M/M, Misunderstandings, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:14:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22094692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weepingnaiad/pseuds/weepingnaiad
Summary: Karl doesn't sound like himself when he calls and Chris should keep his distance from his very married co-star, but Karl asked him to go to breakfast and Chris is going to do whatever Karl needs him to do.
Relationships: Chris Pine/Karl Urban
Series: Comment Fics [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1590865
Comments: 6
Kudos: 37





	Don't know how to do this

**Author's Note:**

> This is a comment fic that was posted over at [Jim and Bones](https://jim-and-bones.livejournal.com/599399.html) on LJ way back when. I was cleaning out my google docs and discovered I'd never posted this here, so I'm fixing that oversight.
> 
> It's unbeta'd, but I did read through it a couple of times.

Chris hangs up his cell, still staring at it in confusion, his heart's in his throat and his brain is warning him, _'Danger! Will Robinson! Danger!'_ but he's not listening. Can't even begin to. Not when Karl sounds so unlike himself.

He wraps a scarf around his neck, puts a cap on to cover the Kirk hair and he's out the door, inside his Porsche and racing through the hills of LA before he can consider just why he's doing this. Karl's staying with Vig, why isn't _he_ the one foregoing his morning run in favor of picking up Karl for breakfast?

Chris knows the answer, knows that Viggo is out of town, knows that if he was home, there'd be no question who Karl would be leaning on. Even after all these years, Karl's face still lights up when he talks about the great Viggo Mortensen. Chris has sat through too many of Viggo's movies to be unaware of what Karl thinks of the crazy, soft-spoken artist slash actor slash poet slash horse whisperer slash fucking everything else because there is nothing Viggo's not good at. To hear Karl tell it, he's so good that he fucked his way through the entire cast of Lord of the Rings, even the straight guys, and managed to walk away as friends with every single last one of them.

Chris doesn’t buy it for an instant, but it sucks balls that Karl _is_ one of those. Chris is just a substitute until Viggo gets back.

Chris's hands grip the wheel too tightly and he swears as he realizes just how fast he is going. JJ will kill him if he gets thrown in jail during filming.

So he takes a deep breath and backs away from all thoughts of Karl and Viggo. That way lies madness.

Instead, he listens to Adele and Mumford & Sons and creates depressing poetry in his head as he drives. He's got it bad, but that's nothing new. The only thing different this time around is that Karl is staying at Vig's place and his house back in Auckland is for sale.

Chris has no clue what that means, but the principles had a break in filming and Karl was gone before the last scene was in the can. And now he's back and his voice is uncertain and Chris is driving over to take him out to breakfast.

This is not going to end well.

~~*~~

Karl opens the door and Chris can't help but smile at him even as his stomach does flips. He looks good. He always looks good, but he's got a sparse smile complementing the fuzzy sweater he's wearing and Chris can't help chuckling.

"What?" Karl asks, looking down at himself.

"Nothing. You think it's cold or something, dude?"

"It's cloudy and might rain," Karl replies. "And you're wearing a scarf _and_ a ballcap. I'm not the one who's overdressed." And he flicks the brim of Chris's cap, pushing it up.

"I'm not going out in public with Kirk hair," Chris says, tugging the cap back down. "Makes me feel ridiculous."

Karl swallows and stares and the silence is suddenly awkward. Chris really looks at Karl, notices that he's worn, fraying around the edges. Of course, he thinks, the guy just got back from a whirlwind trip to New Zealand. He's probably still on En Zed time.

But this feels different than jet lag. Chris backs up, nodding his head toward the driveway. "You ready?"

Karl's expression falters, his eyes flick to the car, to Chris's face, to the ground. They won't settle and this is a physical manifestation of the uncertainty Chris had heard over the phone. "I-I don't know how to do this," Karl murmurs, his voice soft and that accent, _his_ voice, not McCoy's, not the American accent he affects so often, it's all Karl and Chris forgets how to breathe for a moment.

But this can't be, whatever it is he's feeling. He's just projecting. Karl's married and even if he were interested in a guy, that guy'd be Viggo. And Christopher Whitelaw Pine is a lot of things, but he's no goddamned Viggo Mortensen.

He covers the way his heart's bumping against his ribs with a slight cough, a McCoy-like raised eyebrow, and a crooked smile as he asks, "What? It's just breakfast. And I _know_ you know how to eat. I've seen you put away--"

"Chris," Karl stops him with that one word. His name. But it's never sounded like that before.

"Chris," he repeats, broken and soft, and Karl shatters, his hand clutching at Chris's wrist. All Chris can do is step forward, push Karl back into the house, closing the door behind them.

They're so close that Chris can see the stubble on Karl's chin, can count every little freckle along his nose and cheeks, and he doesn't know what the hell's going on, but Karl needs him.

"Karl? Whatever it is, I'm here, man." Chris rests a hand on Karl's shoulder, reassuring him. "We can stay in if going out’s too much?"

Karl's continuing silence is making Chris nervous, but before he can move away or try to shrug off the tension, Karl leans in and he's right there, so close, Chris's eyes cross. Their breaths mingle and Chris's heart stutters as the moment stretches and lengthens. He’s not imagining the look in Karl’s eyes, the way they’re focused on his lips as he licks them, a nervous habit he needs to stop, but can’t.

He swallows, is about to say something to stop this when Karl leans the rest of the way in and kisses him. It takes too long before his body catches on and Karl’s about to pull away, but Chris’ll be damned if he’ll miss this too-good-to-be-true opportunity. This is probably just another dream, so he runs with it, wraps himself around Karl and kisses back for all he’s worth.

This kiss is nothing like he’d dreamed, though. Karl’s not hesitant. He’s so sure of himself, aligns their bodies even as he devours Chris’s tongue, stealing his breath, swallowing his moans and soft whimpers. At this point Chris is sure he’s dreaming because there’s no way that Karl’s got him pressed against Viggo’s door swallowing his tongue while grinding their cocks together. That’s not Chris Pine’s life.

Chris is barely upright, his legs are jelly and he’s unwilling to open his eyes.

“Chris? C’mon, open those baby blues for me,” Karl whispers against Chris’s cheek.

He can’t help himself, dreads the moment of waking, but his eyes flutter open and Karl’s still there. “Y-you’re real?”

Chris often kicks himself for the stupid things that come out of his mouth when Karl’s around, but that was the worst.

“H-how? What the hell, Karl?” Chris’s brain may be mush, but he still manages to demand an explanation which is the height of stupidity. He’s wanted this for _years_ and now he has it and he’s pushing it away. “I-I don’t… dammit, Karl! You’re married!” Chris gives a feeble shove to Karl’s chest, but Karl’s not budging.

“That’s… no,” Karl’s stutters. “I’m not. I’m divorced, Chris. We signed the papers. It’s final.”

Chris’s world tilts on its axis and he swears he misheard. “I thought you were buying a new house?” he asks instead. He blinks at Karl, hope rushing through him. He knows fuck-all except that Karl’s pressing against him, holding him close, and Chris isn’t the only one trembling.

“That’s what you want to ask?” Karl almost smiles at him. He does shake his head fondly, but keeps speaking. “It’s been bad for awhile. Nat and I. We tried, I swear to God we tried. Wanted to keep it together for the boys and I would have stayed, done anything--”

Karl’s voice cracks, but he doesn’t pull away. He presses closer and Chris can only reach out and hold him tighter. He’s murmuring reassurances into Karl’s hair, mostly instinctive nonsense, but it feels right and seems to help Karl stop shaking.

“What do you need from me?”

And only then does Karl pull away. There’s air between them and it chills Chris to the bone. And Chris finally gets it. Karl’s divorced, but it’s been too long. He doesn’t know how to be a free man, not now that he’s a big star. Karl’s never liked publicity and he’s unused to LA and the paps. If he starts dating, it’ll make the news. And that will get back to Nat and the boys. And Chris can read everything Karl’s not saying. Chris is ‘safe’. Just a friend. Someone who understands and can be trusted. A friend so no one would look askance if they’re out together.

Chris takes a deep breath and decides that even if it’s just a bit of safe release and pleasure – no strings – he can give that to Karl. He’s already given his heart with no hope of getting it back. This will just cement the deal.

“I need you to turn off that big brain of yours, Chris. This isn’t what you think.”

“What am I thinking?”

“That I’m on the rebound. Or that I’m bi-curious. Or any number of stupid things.” Karl cups Chris’s cheek with his palm. “I’ve been waiting a long time for that kiss, baby,” he says slow and low, his accent more pronounced and Chris is utterly transfixed.

He’s doomed. He can refuse Karl nothing.

“So don’t. And kiss me again,” Karl orders and Chris wonders if he said all that out loud. But they’re kissing again and he stops wondering and leans into the moment. If he’s going to get his heart crushed, there’s no better way to go.


End file.
